


Family

by tiifalockhart



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: Multi, Post-Advent Children (Compilation of FFVII), Turks (Compilation of FFVII)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 06:40:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30085008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiifalockhart/pseuds/tiifalockhart
Summary: After the events of Advent Children, Rufus Shinra takes his chance to escape from the public eye. In the end, he's afraid he'll end up alone.
Relationships: Elena/Reno/Rude/Rufus Shinra/Tseng, Elena/Rufus Shinra, Elena/Tseng (Compilation of FFVII), Reno/Rude (Compilation of FFVII), Reno/Rufus Shinra, Rude/Rufus Shinra, Rufus Shinra & The Turks, Rufus Shinra/Tseng, The Turks & The Turks (Compilation of FFVII), The Turks/The Turks (Compilation of FFVII)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	Family

After everything was over, after all the battles were won, after the world was saved, they wanted nothing but to return home and live peacefully. 

The moment Rufus was falling off of the building after tossing away Jenova, his life was flashing before his eyes. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure if he was going to live or not after that dramatic moment. While he trusted the Turks, there was no real definition of a plan. Call it improv, if you will. 

It felt like he was falling in slow motion. Endless thoughts of the events of his life played through his mind, almost like a theater performance. It was at this moment when he realized that his life was... Actually, kind of miserable. He’s spent so much time plotting against his father and drowning in endless amounts of work, he has yet to truly live. 

He’s let others decide his life for him, and there have been so many times where he’s almost died and that nothing would change. He couldn’t let that continue to happen. 

The moment he landed safely, he decided that everything was going to change. 

And it did. He completely terminated the Turks’ contracts. Tseng, Reno, Rude, and Elena were free from their responsibilities, they could have families and travel and do whatever they want now. He completely removed himself from power. He happily accepted retirement after being cured of geostigma and left it all to Reeve to run. He could manage, right? 

All that was left was finding somewhere to hide for the rest of his life. No more responsibility, no more fighting, no more running a business, he just wanted to exist peacefully. He ended up buying a country home near nowhere specific and gave only a select people the coordinates: Tseng, Elena, Reno, and Rude. Out of everyone, those were the only four who he cared about enough to provide them with where he’ll be spending the rest of his life. 

When he arrived at the safe house, he let Darkstar off her leash and watched as she happily pranced around the giant yard, letting out happy barks and howls as she thrived in the pure sunlight. She explored every inch of his yard, her tongue hanging out as she raced along the white fences. 

He entered inside quietly, his brows furrowing as he examined each room. Besides the occasional creaking of the house, it was completely quiet. It was almost like a culture shock, this small countryside home was completely different than the bustling streets of Midgar. 

For once, he was all alone. There was no bodyguard, no Turks, no SOLDIERs, no enemies, nothing. It was just him and Darkstar, living peacefully on a farm. He wasn’t really sure if he was okay with this or not. He’s never really been alone like this before. Rufus basically abandoned everyone in his life so that he could feel free, but was this what he really wanted? 

Darkstar finally trotted into the house, moving to curl up next to him on the couch as he silently stared off into the turned-off TV. Why was he still unsatisfied? He’s considered doing this for so long, and now that he’s finally done it, he’s unhappy with it? That didn’t make any sense.

There was a heavyweight on his chest. The truth is, he missed those few people he considered friends. He missed Tseng, Elena, Reno, and Rude. Without them, he wouldn’t have been able to make it here. Selfishly, he began to think, “Have they really left me?” He knew it was selfish, considering that he was the one who let them go. Realistically, why would they show up here? He told them to leave, he told them to go have a family and live out their lives without having to worry about anything dealing with Shinra, Sephiroth, or Avalanche. That’s what he wanted for them at first, but deep down, he didn’t want them to leave. 

As he was drifting off with his thoughts, Darkstar suddenly lifted her head and looked around, her ears moving back and forth as if she picked up something. Suddenly, she jumped up, quietly whimpering as she trotted towards the front door. Rufus watched her curiously, flinching slightly when she began to bark at the front door. Quickly, he jumped up and made his way to the front door, narrowing his eyes as he reached for a weapon of some kind. As his hands wrapped around an iron poker, he reached and quickly opened the door, preparing to stab whoever was standing there.

Suddenly, he stopped himself and nearly stumbled back onto the floor, his suspicious gaze quickly transforming into one of shock and confusion. In front of him, his four friends stood there. Tseng, Elena, Reno, and Rude had finally shown up. His heart swelled as his stomach twisted, he was unable to stop the tears from running down his face. Rufus jumped up and nearly tackled them into a tight embrace, quiet sobs leaving his lips. His shoulders shook as he cried in their arms, completely overwhelmed by the love he held for these people. 

“Why are you here?” He asked, his voice shaking as he pulled back to look at them. Each of them held a similar loving gaze as they admired Rufus, a smile on their lips. 

“You gave us the coordinates.” Reno pointed out, raising a brow. “Did ya not expect us to show up?” He asked, a smile tugging at his lips. 

“But your contracts-” Rufus tried, but was immediately cut off by Tseng stepping inside the house, his eyes scanning the inside. 

“I had a friend once... She used to tell me that I have a family already, and that I should hold onto them.” He murmured, looking down at a small pink ribbon he kept in his pocket. “Veld used to say the same thing as well. I find no point in starting a family when I already have one.” He explained, turning towards the others. 

Rufus wasn’t going to lie. Hearing that from Tseng felt like a punch in the gut, but like, in a good way. Before Rufus could begin crying again, Rude silently held out a handkerchief for him, a small smile on his lips. He had a family again. Rufus wasn’t going to be alone. He could exist peacefully with his best friends, without having to worry about losing them again. 

The small group quiet entered the house, the five of them happily chatting and laughing together. Darkstar trotted around them happily, earning happy coos and pets from the former Turks. Within a couple of hours, Rufus’s life had completely turned around. He didn’t have to worry about being alone, he didn’t have to worry about suffocating in his own guilt and depression. He was saved without asking for it. 

They all agreed to put everything behind them and live as a makeshift family together. Since they had the time now, they pursued hobbies, they celebrated holidays together, they lived life together. It was almost bittersweet. Elena managed to become a master gardener, she loved showing off her green thumb to everyone. Meanwhile, Tseng enjoyed mastering chess and occasionally competing in local competitions, as well as woodwork in the shed he built in the back. Rude became a baker, he absolutely loved making sweets from scratch and watching the pleased expressions of the others when they ate. Reno, strangely enough, hopped hobbies. He never had the same hobby. Originally, he worked with Rude and Elena (he quickly grew bored with Tseng), but eventually, he began to pick up the most random things. Eventually, he decided that he enjoyed drawing, even if his artworks weren’t the best, it gave him some peace. Rufus happily enjoyed his small library, it was hard to find him without a book in the vicinity of him. 

It felt so domestic, living with those he considered a better family than his biological one. Every holiday and birthday was a huge celebration, every milestone was cherished and celebrated, every peaceful moment was spent together, basking in the love they all mutually held for each other. The little things, like eating breakfast together, or putting away groceries together made everything they went through almost worth it. 

Eventually, they would all grow old together, happily living in that house in the country. Eventually, they would also be buried there as well. After they’ve lived out their lives in peace and happiness, they would die together on that farm in the country, the end of their life filled with love and peace.


End file.
